Fans United: Richard Vaughan and the 'Scum FA'

"I see the scum FA have now taken 2 points who do they think they are they wouldn't do this to Man United. It makes me sick what is happening to your club and it's an insult to your fans. I'm a Plymouth fan and I think that one week when we're away I'm going to come up and support your protest. I think it would be a good idea if LOADS of fans from different clubs turned up at Brighton (with their shirts on) and joined in it would show that we're all behind you 100 per cent." - Richard Vaughan, December 1996.

8th February 2014 marks the 17th anniversary of Fans United - a day which many Brighton fans consider as one of the best and most important days in the club's history. The Albion Roar caught up with Richard Vaughan, the Plymouth Argyle fan whose post on the fledgling Albion Internet Forum in 1996 led to that great, if foggy, day...


Albion Roar: Tell us about your Argyle supporting history

Richard Vaughan: I started supporting Argyle when my parents took me to my first match on Tuesday December the 28th 1993. It was during the Christmas holidays so a day time match and we beat Fulham 3-1, which was at the time in Division 2 (now League One, whish they would just leave the names of the divisions alone). It was a big crowd about 15,000 as we were having a very good season under then manager Peter Shilton.

I also took my cousin along and we were asked to do a picture for the local paper. Funnily enough it made the front page, it was us holding up an Argyle scarf. I’ll have to see if my mum still has it and dig it out sometime. I was hooked and in love with the game instantly and attended all home games for the rest of that season. We played some amazing football that year and really should have been promoted. Argyle were top scorers in the league (from memory) that year and missed out on automatic promotion on the last day of the season, even thought we won 8-1 at Hartlepool. I then suffered my first ‘football heartbreak’ when we lost over two legs to Burnley in the play-offs semi final.


AR: Tell us about the Richard Vaughan who wrote 'that' post in December 1996, and the Richard now.

RV: Well, a lot has changed in the 17 years, I was obviously very young then, no real life experience, living at home with mum and dad in south Devon (Salcombe) and was quite shy (although not when watching football). I think I lived for the weekend then so I could go and watch Argyle.

Fast forward to now and I’ve been married nearly 7 years (with partner for 11 this coming Saturday funnily enough) and have 3 amazing children our eldest girl is 5, have 3 year old boy and little baby who is 3 months old (time to call it a day now!) So life is very busy as you can imagine so sadly I don’t get a lot of time to get down to Argyle much these days, I just have to pick and choose games.

Football will always be a big part of my life though, it’s such a great place to escape to and no other sport can match the passion and unscripted drama we all love. I really intend to visit the Amex one day, maybe sooner rather than later as my brother in law is moving to Brighton soon! I’m holding out though until I have at least a stand named after me or at very least statue outside the ground... (joke)!


AR: What compelled you to write that 'I see the scum FA...' post?

RV: I had and still have a huge affection for lower league clubs, I believe you should always support your local team or at least a team you have some connection with. The lower leagues are real football with real fans and sadly we don’t seem to ever get the right protection and are largely ignored by the elite.

When I saw how badly Albion had been treated and how little the higher power of English football seemed to care, it really wound me up and I felt something had to be done. The idea simply came from reading on the messages that had already been posted for such a vast range of football fans. I just thought if this many people cared then why not all get together and show it. It looks funny to read now (scum FA) and is clearly the rant of a teenager!


AR: When you wrote it, did you have any idea of what might follow?

RV: I had no idea at all that it would snow ball as much as it did. I think within days of writing this the idea took off and I was being contacted by all sorts of people from the club and media. I think I started to realise what a big deal it was when a reported from Five Live came round to interview me at my house one evening in the build up (which for a 15 year old was a bit mad).

The day itself was mind blowing, the response was as you know so much more than we could ever have dreamed of. Even fans from teams on the continent were there and maybe more bizarrely some from Palace (sorry) but there were no issues everyone just joined together and enjoyed the unique atmosphere. The best memory of the day was the wall of sound that came from the terrace behind the goal (The North Stand I think), it was on a par with the Liverpool Kop!


AR: How do you feel now, coming up with an idea that was a Red Letter Day, not just for Brighton, but for football fandom?

RV: It’s still amazing and gives me a buzz every time I think about or read something about it, it never gets old. I really have to pinch myself that idea came from me and had such a huge impact. It still shows that despite how much money there is in football these days, it’s nothing without the fans and if we were gone there would be no game. It’s a shame fans don’t always get listened to, especially by people that have owned clubs for only 5 mins.

For example I think it’s terrible what has happened to Cardiff, yes they are in the ‘promise land’ but at what price. I think I’d be happier being in League 2 if the price for the Premiership would be losing your traditional colours and identity.


AR: How did it feel when Fans United 'came home', and Brighton fans descended on Home Park in 2011?

RV: It was another unforgettable unique day that will go down in history and came at a time when Argyle needed some help at our lowest ever point (similar to Albion in 1997). It was very special meeting so many Albion fans that were still so grateful for the original Fans United, which they all say played a huge part in saving the club.

Best memories of the day were the Albion fans getting ‘the right side and the left side’ chant going which is something that has stuck and still sung at Argyle games! It was great that Craig Woolgar suggested the idea to ‘return the favour’ and it was also nice meeting him on the day, someone I’m also still in touch with. I’m also still in contact with quite a few of the original Fans United movement from 1997 and it’s great to see Albion fans still taking an interest in Argyle. I think we had some of you guys turning up at a few away games last season, so the bond between the clubs seems to be there for life.

This was highlighted recently when we could have hosted Albion at Home Park in the 4th round of the club had we not lost to Port Vale. There were a quite a few messages exchanged between Argyle and Albion fans wishing for this to happen. Sadly we didn’t make it and despite being in front lost the replay (including missing a penalty and open goal in the last 5 mins, typical Argyle!).

#fansunited

Good stuff. I've just copied that over to PASOTI for you.

Good one Al - good to hear from Richard again

His idea inspired one of the best Albion games I can remember - the atmosphere in the North Stand was something else. There were some German fans with a massive banner - can't remember which team but it said something about football that people came halfway across Europe to support our struggle.

I'll always associate it with the birth of my niece. She came into the world the day before and I'd held her for the first time just before setting off the game. As the game was also two days after the anniversary of my dad's death it was a really emotional day for me.

Gwylan said:

Good one Al - good to hear from Richard again

His idea inspired one of the best Albion games I can remember - the atmosphere in the North Stand was something else. There were some German fans with a massive banner - can't remember which team but it said something about football that people came halfway across Europe to support our struggle.

I'll always associate it with the birth of my niece. She came into the world the day before and I'd held her for the first time just before setting off the game. As the game was also two days after the anniversary of my dad's death it was a really emotional day for me.

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It was Eintracht Frankfurt

goldstone rocks said:

It was Eintracht Frankfurt

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Ah...how appropriate

Well done Al for that and a big Thank You to Richard for what he did then and for the interview now. The memories it brought back made me quite emotional.

That Saturday was one of the most special days I've had in supporting the Albion for over 60 years.

Goosebumps reading that.

Here is an interview I did with Richard back in 2005 on the 8th anniversay:
What are your memories of watching your first ever football match?
Compared to most other people I was quite a late starter getting into the beautiful game. It was Christmas time 1993, I was 12 years old and the match was Argyle VS Fulham at Home Park. My Dad took me and also my cousin came along who was down visiting from north Wales. Walking into the stadium for the first time I was really taken in by the whole occasion and was completely hooked.

What have been the highs and lows of following Plymouth Argyle?
There’s been a lot of highs and lows following Argyle over the last eleven and a half years but never a dull moment. The first season in 93/94 we played some excellent football and really should have been promoted. It all came down to the last day of the season but unfortunately results didn’t go our way and we missed out on automatic promotion by just three points. We then suffered the fate of so many other teams that have finished third, losing in the play-offs to a Burnley side who were a staggering twelve points behind us! I remember feeling completely cheated and thinking this complete miscarry of justice shouldn’t be allowed to happen, it was the first time I cried at football!
The biggest highs of following Argyle would obviously have to be the three promotion seasons. The first in 95/96 we were promoted via the Third Division Play-Offs. The semi-final second leg against Colchester at Home Park is still the best game I’ve ever been to. We were trailing one nil from the first leg so the pressure was really on. We scored the decisive goal with just five minutes to go which prevented the game from going into extra time and for the first time in their history sent Argyle to Wembley. The whole place erupted at the end with everyone running on the pitch to celebrate with the players, I’ve still never seen a better atmosphere at Home Park. We took around 36,000 fans to the final at Wembley to see the Greens beat Darlington one nil, a very proud day. The Paul Sturrock era at Home Park has to be the biggest high the club was ever been through. When he took over in 2000 we had fallen to our lowest league position in the clubs history. The crowds were at an all time low and were heading for the Conference. Paul worked miracles without spending hardly any money at all he created two championship winning squads over just three and a half years! The first Third Division winning season would have to be my favourite out of the two as it was so unexpected, we actually won something!

At 15 years old, how did you become aware of the situation at Brighton and Hove Albion?
I remember listening to Radio Five Live one afternoon back in `96 and hearing about the York game when people ran on the pitch and broke the goal posts. I then started following the clubs fortunes every week and started reading the fans views on the internet.

Where did the idea for Fans United come from? – ie how was it conceived?
One evening I was browsing through the Brighton fans web site which I had been keeping up to date with on a regular basis since the York match. The whole Archer situation had really come to a head and things really did seem bleak for the club. There seemed no way out and I just couldn’t quite believe that a club like Albion with so much history and fantastic support could cease to exist. Browsing through the web site there was an overwhelming amount of anger, sadness and support expressed from supporters of clubs all over the world. It seemed to of touched every real fan in some way and something big really had to be done to make people stand up and notice how money a greed were killing this great club.

What sparked you to write the letter?
I was so wound up with everything that was going on that I stated on the message board that I was going to come along to an Albion match wearing my own colours to show my support for the cause and that others should join in too. As there was so many messages of support from other clubs it seemed the best way we could all show the football world that fans were united in their support for the Albion.
.
What are your memories of the first Fans United day in 1997?
I was really overwhelmed with the immense support of unity shown on the original day, it was action packed from start to finish. We met up mid morning with a few of the main organisers on the green opposite the Goldstone Ground. Crowds were already starting to form everywhere, including people from all walks of the media. AFC Bournemouth were themselves in financial trouble at the time and there was also a group of fans from the club doing a collection of their own. I thought this was really good as it showed what Fans United was all about, truly a day for all fans of football. It was amazing seeing so many teams colours, I think all of the 92 league clubs were easily represented, quite a few from Europe and a fair few from non-league as well. The turnstile cues around the ground were huge, it was quite a wait to get into the ground. One of the funniest moments I remember was an Albion fan opening of the emergency gates in the ground and shouting to people in the cue “Quick come in this way, Archer won’t get any more money of us then!”. A good few hundred fans managed to get in for free, nobody cared as this was all part of what the day stood for. The atmosphere behind the goal was immense before kick off and didn’t let up at all throughout the game. It was really heart warming to see so many groups of fans all mixing together and all in good nature, I think I even had a chat with an Exeter fan!

Who did you travel to the game with?
My Dad and I travelled up the night before and stayed in a B&B in Hove, only a short walk from the ground.

Did you follow Brighton and Hove Albion’s fortunes closely in the immediate months and years following Feb 1997?
Since Fans United I have always made a point of checking the results to see how Albion are getting on every week. I was really nerves listening to the Brighton V Hereford game on the final day of the Fans United season, I was going through the motions as if it was my own team playing! The worst Albion moment was seeing you guys get promoted at Home Park it was horrible! Although we made up for it by winning the league the following season so I’ll let you have that one. I’ve also been keeping up to date with the ground situation at Albion. It’s an utter disgrace they still haven’t been given the go head to build a new stadium. The Withdean is no way near good enough for a club like Brighton. They could easily be attracting crowds in the region of fifteen to twenty thousand and the current capacity is tiny. I was annoyed with one of the Talk Sport presenters the other morning as he was trying to put Albion down for getting such low home gates, typical I suppose of the ignorant premiership worshipers!

Did you attend of become involved in the next Fans United day at Gillingham (Heart of Football Day) in Feb 1998?
Unfortunately I was unable to attend the next Fans United day but I did see the highlights on the `Heat of Football` video which felt very special.

Have you followed/been aware of the financial crises facing many other football clubs during the past few years eg: Bradford City, Notts County, Exeter City, Wrexham, Cambridge Utd etc?
It’s really sad there seems to always be a club in the news these days that’s in financial trouble. Something drastic really needs to be done soon or we’ll be facing a situation where the country only has two or three professional leagues. There’s so much money being thrown around by the bigger clubs it seems crazy, Wayne Rooney’s wages over two weeks would probably be enough money to save one of the struggling clubs. One the best ideas I heard once would be to bring in a transfer tax in the Premiership whereby one or two percent of every transfer fee is kept by the FA and put into a kitty. This money could then be distributed around the lower leagues to keep the smaller clubs going.
What are your views on the financial structuring of professional football in this country?
The television money from Sky was improved recently but I still don’t think we all get a fair share of it. If Sky chose to show so many games in one league per season then I think each club should get their fair share of appearances.
It’s also quite worrying how expensive it is to get into a grounds these days. If prices continue to spiral our of control the way they are now the normal man on the street won’t be able to afford to go anymore which is a tragedy. This is one of the reasons the atmospheres in Premiership grounds with the exception of the newly promoted clubs seem to be nonexistent as the real fans just can’t afford to go.

What are your views on the whole fans united movement and how it has developed?
I have mixed feelings that Fans United is still going strong today. One side of me is very proud that fans are still coming together to try and fix the wrongs of the beautiful game, which is great to see. I still have to pinch myself sometimes that all this came about from one of my teenage rants one night over the internet! The other side of me is quite sad that we still have to go to these lengths to save the clubs that generations have supported all their lives. It’s now a regular thing in the news to read about a club going into financial crisis. It’s now just a case of which one next. In an ideal world there would be no more need for Fans United but unfortunately with the way things are going this isn’t the case.

Do fans have the power to make real changes in the game?
Yes defiantly without the fans football is nothing We’re the reason football is here today and the people making money out of it should try and remember that sometimes.

How does it feel eight years later?
It still feels very surreal that all of this came about from one nights ranting over the internet. As I said before I have mixed feeling that it’s still going but it makes me very proud that fan power is alive and well.

Breathtaking to think what can flow from expressing a simple thought. Also, despite what some might say, football is about people feeling part of something together - it depresses me when we have one of those "who cares, not our problem" kind of threads. We're not Mother Teresa, but I still feel a duty to give a toss when I remember what happened 17 years ago. Eek - does that sound rude??

tinycowboy said:

Breathtaking to think what can flow from expressing a simple thought. Also, despite what some might say, football is about people feeling part of something together - it depresses me when we have one of those "who cares, not our problem" kind of threads. We're not Mother Teresa, but I still feel a duty to give a toss when I remember what happened 17 years ago. Eek - does that sound rude??

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It's an attitude I'm struggling to comprehend.

We asked for help, and got it. They asked for help, and got... grief.

Good read. I remember the day very well. Perhaps one day Richard could be a guest of the club to finally come and see The Amex and get the recognition and applause he greatly deserves from the supporters.

Our fans united...that foggy day against Hartlepool....won 5-0...I had no idea who Richard Vaughan was....fans from Stockport,Palace,many others.
Did have the pleasure of meeting Richard at their fans united where we were treated like dear friends.

Playing hockey that afternoon for Horsham 4 XI and saw the result on the telly in the clubhouse - think I had another beer(s) to celebrate another 3 points but was sadly unaware of the drama.
Living in Sussex then, moved to London, still watched BHA, still played for Horsham l, moved to MK and millions of years later a STH in MK.

I don't suppose he'll be a guest tomorrow? Would have been a nice gesture & he could see how far we (and Donny) have come and that there's hope for Argyle.

Freddie Goodwin. said:

I don't suppose he'll be a guest tomorrow? Would have been a nice gesture & he could see how far we (and Donny) have come and that there's hope for Argyle.

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As he says in his interview, next time he's in Sussex (he lives just outside Exeter) - and it looks like his wife's brother is about to move to Brighton - we'll get him on definitely.

Should be a guest at the Amex. Deserves a minutes applause at least.

Here's a picture of Richard Vaughan and his dad at Fans United



Click the link to see what they and other fans on the day had to say:
http://thegoldstonewrap.com/2014/02/08/90-minutes-live-at-fans-united-1997/

Fans United was the most unique and probably one of the best days at football. As RV said, the North Stand was in fabulous voice too. I also enjoyed the Fans United at Withdean when fireman hats were all the rage at a protest for the Donny lads.. made all the more amusing as Lynn Truss who wrote for the Times managed to get completely the wrong end of the stick in her article!

Interview repeated on club website - which was decent of them - with some excellent images courtesy of... someone else.

http://www.seagulls.co.uk/news/article/fans-united-creator-richard-vaughan-1347000.aspx